The invention relates to a dishwasher having an adjustable upper basket.
A dishwasher, in particular a domestic dishwasher, has a washing container which is as a rule cuboidal and has on its front side a door opening that can be closed by means of a front door. Position indicators such as “above”, “below”, or “at the front” refer to the operating position of the dishwasher when installed ready for operation. Located in the washing container's upper region is an upper basket and in its lower region as a rule a lower basket. Items to be washed, for example pots and pans, items of crockery, and cutlery, are put into the lower and upper basket. The maximum vertical clearance available for crockery in the lower basket is limited in terms of available height by the upper basket or, as the case may be, the floor wall on its base. A customary maximum size for a plate that can be placed vertically in a dishwasher is today about 33-35 cm. Problems arise when items that are taller or, as the case may be, larger, such as for, instance, baking trays, deep pots and pans, or oversized plates such as pizza or serving plates are to be washed. It is known how to lay such items flat across the lower basket. Space for other items requiring to be washed will then be wasted. It is alternatively known how to remove the upper basket in its entirety from the washing container, with said basket's then no longer being available for loading with additional items to be washed.
Known from DE 200 19 480 U1 is a dishwasher which instead of an upper basket has in the washing container's upper region for example two racks that can be folded against the washing container's wall. It is here possible, for example, to fold one rack down to provide a kind of upper basket on which items to be washed can be placed. The other rack can be folded up. The freed-up space in the washing container's upper region will then be available for particularly large items requiring to be washed which can be placed in the corresponding region of the lower basket.
Alternatively an upper basket for a dishwasher is known from US 2010/0314977 A1. A portion of the floor wall can be swiveled along with a portion of the side wall to create a gap in a partial region of the upper basket. Large items requiring to be washed that are located in the lower basket can then again project into the freed-up gap from below. The remainder of the upper basket will continue to be available for use by items requiring to be washed.
The aim of the present invention is to allow oversized items of crockery and/or household or, as the case may be, cooking utensils to be washed in a dishwasher simultaneously with the customary amount of daily crockery without having to accept a major limitation in the upper and lower basket's overall functionality.